Event co-organisers Messe Frankfurt lauded the debut of Paperworld USA a success, judging by the unusually high rebooking rate for space at next year’s Paperworld USA, to take place in Miami Beach, Florida.
The event, which took place from 9-11 November in Las Vegas, attracted 4,025 visitors from 81 countries, while a total of 390 exhibitors from 32 countries were on display.
Feedback from exhibitors and visitors was mixed. Steve Jacober, president of co-organiser SHOPA, told OPI: "I honestly believe that many participants went into the show with somewhat lower expectations than they had in the past. These expectations, however, were truly exceeded given the number of quality visitors and the broad range of product on the show floor."
Keith Davies, CEO of the BOSS Federation, added: "All of the British companies exhibiting through the BOSS Federation have very positive feelings about Paperworld USA. Several described the quality and quantity of leads as excellent."
But despite the impressive mix of international buyers, the relatively small number of them meant that some products didn’t get the exposure of other shows. Furthermore, many buyers were unimpressed by the non-appearance of some of the big manufacturers like Sanford and Esselte.
(see ‘Going global’, pg 26)
